Live Blog of Mizzou Against No. 21 Georgia

People say basketball is a game of runs.

The Missouri Tigers and No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs encapsulated that saying on Tuesday night, with streaky play through 40 minutes of basketball. Both teams went back and forth in a gritty SEC contest that went down to the wire, with plenty of excitement in between.

Missouri also saw one of its ugliest shooting games of the season from two of its biggest players. Those two guys, Jacob Crews and Jayden Stone, hit the biggest shots of the game for the Tigers when it mattered the most.

The Tigers fell 74-72 to the Bulldogs after a missed game-winning attempt from Crews, who hit a shot the previous offensive possession to give his team the lead.

This game was a tale of two halves for both teams, with the second half containing much more juice and excitement than the first. For starters, there were more fouls called in the first four minutes of the second half than in the entire first half combined. The energy ratcheted up, but so did the physicality.

Both teams finally found life on offense in the second half, especially the Tigers. They went on a big run to start the second half and senior forward Mark Mitchell found his footing. He finished the game with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting, adding five rebounds and three assists.

It felt like neither team could generate any momentum at any point in the game. Every time Georgia went on a run, Missouri matched it, or vice versa. In many ways, the flow of all 40 minutes of the game was disrupted. This was especially the case in the first half.

The first half featured a rollercoaster of events, including three massive runs. Georgia went on a 13-0 run early in the half to go up 20-10, leaving the Tigers scoreless for around seven minutes. Missouri followed that up with a 10-0 run to tie the game, which was followed by a 7-0 run from Georgia to end the half. Georgia went into the halftime break leading 29-26, which could’ve been worse from Missouri’s standpoint.

Turnovers riddled both teams, especially in the first half. Missouri committed 12 in total and nine in the first half, while Georgia committed 10 total turnovers, also having eight come in the first half. Most of those weren’t steals, either. Both teams were suffering from self-inflicted mistakes, with a decent amount leading to points for the opposing team.

Missouri struggled to hit shots from the perimeter in this matchup, with typical volume shooters like Crews and Stone failing to hit open shots. Crews ended up going 3-for-7 from outside, while Stone went 2-for-6.

The Tigers had really good ball movement, too. They just weren’t hitting the shots. They’re traditionally a 36.4% three-point shooting team, but shot 28% as a group tonight. They also managed to shoot 40.3% from the field, which is far below their 51.2% team average. The fact that Missouri kept it as close as it did with such poor shooting numbers was impressive.

Behind Mitchell in the scoring department was Stone, who finished with 13 gritty points. It wasnt his best shooting night, going 5-for-14 from the field, but he added eight rebounds and six assists to breathe life into his team in other areas. Stone also hit a clutch contested jumper late in the game to give the Tigers a chance to get a stop and potentially win.

The Tigers dropped to 13-6 and 3-3 in conference play after the loss, while Georgia improved to 16-3 and 4-2 in the SEC. Missouri’s next game is at home against Oklahoma at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Second Half Stats
Second Half
First Half Stats
First Half
Pre Game
Injuries
Starting Lineups
How to Watch

Second Half Stats

FINAL - Missouri 72, Georgia 74

Second Half

56.4 - Missouri 69, Georgia 71

A circus shot from Jayden Stone narrows Missouri's deficit. Now, the Tigers need to get a clutch stop and a bucket with under a minute to go. Georgia has the ball with half a shot clock to operate.

4:33 - Missouri 62, Georgia 67

The Tigers are in the middle of a dry streak at the worst possible time, having missed seven of their last eight field goal attempts. The quality of shot is there for Missouri right now, but the ball just isn't going through the hoop.

8:13 - Missouri 59, Georgia 55

Another review has been initiated, this time against Shawn Phillips Jr. Phillips and Somto Cyril have gone back and forth all night in a very physical matchup, with a few cheap shots from both players to go along with it.

10:11 - Missouri 55, Georgia 50

Mark Mitchell just drilled his seventh three-point shot of the season to extend Missouri's lead. Both teams are still playing extremely physically, with more fouls and bodies on the floor.

13:20 - Missouri 48, Georgia 46

The Tigers are in the middle of a massive run that's been fueled by Trent Pierce. He's up to eight points on the night and is also contributing on defense. Jacob Crews went down in some pain during the middle of this run, appearing to hold his right hand. He's going to attempt to play through it.

16:53 - Missouri 38, Georgia 37

The start of the second half has been a rollercoaster and the physicality has been ramped up. Both teams have committed more fouls, along with more trips to the free-throw line.

First Half Stats

First Half

HALF: Missouri 26, Georgia 29

3:39 - Missouri 20, Georgia 27

After weathering the storm with a 10-0 run, Georgia has finally found some looks on offense to get Kanon Catchings and Marcus Millender involved. Missouri has turned the ball over eight times and Georgia has turned it over seven times.

7:59 - Missouri 10, Georgia 20

Some sort of foul is under review right now. Words were exchanged between Shawn Phillips Jr. and Georgia's Somto Cyril exchanged words with each other at midcourt. Both teams are playing sloppily, but Georgia has been able to take advantage of more open shots and offensive opportunities.

11:27 - Missouri 10, Georgia, 15

The Tigers haven't scored a single point in 3:52, allowing Georgia to build a very minor lead. The offense seems to be lacking ball movement and proper spacing, leading to a lot of dribbling at the top of the key.

13:25 - Missouri 10, Georgia 12

The sloppiness and the points have increased for both teams as the first half has progressed. Missouri has committed four turnovers, while Georgia has recorded three. The giveaways have been self-inflicted on both sides, for the most part.

17:57 - Missouri 2, Georgia 5

Missouri has turned the ball over three times and Georgia once so far. The defensive pressure is high from both teams and the Tigers are struggling to get good looks on offense to start the game.

Pre Game

Missouri forward Jevon Porter, who was ruled out once again on the SEC injury report, was seen on the court during warmups taking a few shots in street clothes. There is no time table on his return.

Injuries

Missouri

OUT: F Jevon Porter

Porter will miss seven straight games after his absence against the Georgia Bulldogs. He suffered a lower leg injury in practice that has kept him out.

Georgia

The Bulldogs don't have anyone on the injury report for tonight's game against Missouri.

Starting Lineups

Missouri	Georgia
G- Anthony Robinson II	G- Jordan Ross
G- Jayden Stone	G- Jeremiah Wilkinson
G- Jacob Crews	G- Blue Cain
F- Mark Mitchell	F- Kanon Catchings
C- Shawn Phillips Jr.	C- Somto Cyril

How to Watch

Who: Missouri (13-5, 3-2 SEC) vs. Georgia (15-3, 3-2 SEC)

What: Missouri's third SEC home game of the 2025-26 season.

When: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m.

Where: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Play-By-Play: Mike Kelly, Color: Chris Gervino)

SiriusXM: Missouri - 382, Georgia - 81

Series: Missouri leads 12-10.

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